Nutley opinion: One of the best bargains

In this era of hard times, it can be a little difficult to find a bargain. Let me remind you of one obvious one that is right in the center of town: the Nutley Free Public Library. The title is the dead giveaway, isn't it?

I recently took advantage of one of its programs, called "One Book Nutley: Reading Together." It featured author Debra Galant, who discussed her most recent book, "Fear and Yoga in New Jersey." A former columnist for The New York Times, she created Baristanet.com, and currently serves as the director of NJ News Co-op at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University.

After reading a passage from her book, she fielded questions from an audience of two dozen fans. She confessed that some of the mannerisms of the young boy in the story were influenced by questions she asked her own teenage son: she quizzed him on slang words so the character's speech would sound authentic. She also enlisted the aid of a meteorologist to depict an accurate account of a hurricane that was featured prominently in the plot of the novel.

Debra spoke of how absorbed one can get when writing a book. Ironically, her parents had to endure the wrath of a hurricane in Florida while she was writing "Fear and Yoga in New Jersey." She was so wrapped up in writing about the storm in her book, she was the only one of her siblings who didn't call mom and dad to make sure they were okay once the hurricane had passed them. Her mom had to call her and ask why she hadn't inquired about their well-being.

Debra's appearance was the first of the Autumn Author Series, being presented by the Monday Night Book Club. Jon Michaud will speak about his novel "When Tito Loved Clara" on Nov. 5, and Tejaswini Ganti will discuss the phenomenon of the Hindi film industry as outlined in her book "Producing Bollywood" on Dec. 3. That evening will also feature a performance by an ensemble of Bollywood dancers.

Thanks for these interesting presentations should be given to the Friends of the Nutley Public Library. Through fundraisers, this dedicated group provides support for many programs the library offers. They sponsor the Summer Reading program for children, and have purchased eReaders that patrons can borrow for two weeks at a time.

Friends of the Nutley Public Library memberships are available to groups, families or individuals by contacting the library at 973-667-0405 or visiting nutley.bccls.org. Take advantage of the many resources available at our library.

As a member of the Bergen County Cooperative Library System, Nutley is one of 74 interconnected libraries, so there are endless opportunities to find what you need. And the best part is…it's free.